The Hidden Shorts
by HeathenVampires
Summary: Collection of post How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World short things. Spoilers for HTTYD3 If you haven't seen it yet. Will be (99? 98? Maybe 95% canon-compliant) Open for prompting.
1. Chapter 1

**Time for some post HTTYD3 content! **

**If you read any further and get spoiled, you were warned.**

-HTTYD-

He was just sitting in his chair, listening to his grandchildren scamper about the place being chased by their parents. The trips to the Hidden World had slowed as the generations that lived with them thinned, losing people like Valka and Gobber and Eret that understood.

Hiccup glanced over to where his wife slumbered, curled up under thick pelts to keep the chill off her bones with a raggedy old dragon toy balanced precariously atop her, a 'gift' from a passing grandchild.

Closing his eyes with a view to a nap himself, Hiccup had barely started to relax when he felt it. A sharp ache somewhere in his chest, one that settled low in his stomach like swallowing ice. The pain passed as suddenly as it had come, but when Hiccup raised his hands to wipe his face, they came away wet with tears.

And somehow, he knew.

-HTTYD-

**HE KNEW!**

**Prompts for shorts to go here are open! But I really do mean _shorts. _Nothing that would take a story to cover. Like, a thousand words or less is a nice length, no?  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh look more short time. Please don't bug me about doing these in any particular order these are meant to be low stress for me to do when I have the time. **

**"****Valka in the woods, she encounters an owl."**

-HTTYD-

She couldn't sleep. _Again. _

Valka was too used to the air, the weightlessness. The ground made her feel heavy, clunky, ill-adjusted. Hiccup was struggling sometimes too, she saw, but he had Astrid, he had the village, he had something to strive for. And Valka... she had her son, of course, but he was grown and busy and didn't have time for Valka waking in the night, sobbing and clutching the hole in her chest where Cloudjumper belonged.

It was why she'd chosen not to share a home with her son on the new island. She'd not burden him with her pain.

So Valka walked. For hours and hours, climbing every new rock formation she found with all the carelessness of someone who still had a dragon to catch her. She found discarded scales up there, shed by the dragons when they'd flown overhead. There were burn patches left from Grimmel, the Deathgrippers flammable venom that left Valka's shield in tatters back on Berk. Not that anyone could have found it in that rubble.

Dragging herself up another rock, she slumped against the trees, staring up at the sky and aching for the freedom of flight again.

"Oh, Cloudjumper..."

It had been an act of love, she knew, to let them go, but _gods _how she missed him. Valka couldn't even carry her staff anymore. The rattles reminded her, remembering how her nest had learned each sound and what it meant. Cool night air made her realise a few tears had slid down her face, hastily wiped away though there was nobody to see them. Straightening up, Valka climbed higher, legs burning in protest.

Rambling through the forests was all that helped her, because they were the only thing she remembered that wasn't _Cloudjumper._ It was dragons still, but gentler, to remember when she was a girl and how she crept through the woods with her mothers dagger stashed away, sabotaging dragon traps and peering up through the trees to see them zip overhead. What she wouldn't give to see just one now...

"Whooo-ooooo."

The noise tore her from her thoughts, body whipping around on instinct with a gasp. An indignant rustle of feathers, another low hooting, and the owl took flight as though Valka had disturbed it.

"It was an owl. Just an owl..."

She murmured, as though reminding herself. Oh. _Oh..._ she'd never hear Cloudjumper snore again, those funny little noises he made as he hung down from above. Never watch his big eyes open, or see him stretch his four wings out before warbling happily at her in greeting. The hole in her chest felt like it had been torn anew as the memories assaulted her, falling against a tree and sobbing openly. Clutching her knees to her chest, Valka tried to hold herself together, fingers scrabbling uselessly at the leather of her leggings and wishing for dragon scales.

"Cloudjumper..."

-HTTYD-

**DID SOMEONE SAY MORE SAD FEELS?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Time for a new short!**

**This one isn't here to tear your heart out this time.**

-HTTYD-

"Mama!"

"Shh, you'll wake her."

Nuffink sniffled, wiping his nose messily on his sleeve before reaching out to Zephyr, demanding affection more than usual since he was sick. She rolled her eyes but hopped up next to him, pulling his little blanket over him and pushing the dragon toy into his hands. Ever since they met Toothless, Nuff had been a big fan of the dragon toys even though he hadn't liked them much before.

"Go sleep."

Mama was sleeping too, sitting kinda funny in her chair but whenever daddy fell asleep like that, mama always said to leave him be because he needed the rest. Mamas needed rest too, Zephyr decided, even when little brothers were sick. So she'd have to take care of Nuff. She could do it. She was a big sister! Nuffink continued to sniffle, but he cuddled the toy and the fuzzy blanket.

"Tell me story?"

"Only if you promise to be quiet."

"I will."

"Ok then. How about the big dragon one?"

* * *

Astrid stirred, neck stiff from the awkward position she'd dozed off in. Realising quickly she'd fallen asleep while watching the kids, she sat bolt upright, already wondering what kind of havoc they had gotten in to unsupervised.

Instead, she heard Zephyr talking softly, voice sleepy and yawning as she recited one of the stories Hiccup would tell them. Oh, she missed words here and there, or mixed up the order, but gods she was adorable for _trying. _Astrid rubbed her neck, turning to where son and daughter were curled up together. Movement surprised Zephyr, who turned toward her.

"Shh mama. Nuff is sleeping!"

-HTTYD-

**Idk, have some big sister Zephyr vibes?**


	4. Chapter 4

**One of three FEELS ATTACKS.**

**If you try to say this ship wasn't canon, I will politely request you see the movie again. Not my fave ship ever BUT IT WAS CANON AND INTENTIONAL AND GAYYYY.**

-HTTYD-

Other Vikings didn't always do it, Eret knew. It wouldn't be economical to bury every one of their dead on a flaming boat... he chuckled through his tears at the sound of Gobber in his head, saying "we'd have ter clear the forest every time there was a wedding!" in response to Eret's thoughts. But like Stoick, and like any other warrior of true spirit, they were sent to Valhalla by fire to reflect the burning passion for strength, for honour, for _love _that they had in life.

Hiccup, in all his wonderful kindness, let Eret recite a more traditional sendoff from his homeland alongside the wish for safe passage to Valhalla. Eret choked on a sob when he remembered he'd never see the lights in the sky so close again without their dragons, that he'd only ever the souls of those they'd lost from afar. He remembered the first time he told Hiccup of that - _Aurvandil's Fire, _they called it, and Hiccup told him of a dragon that used to turn up every ten years alongside it back on 'old' Berk. Here on New Berk, they had more frequent view of the lights, but less vibrant sometimes as they shimmered out in the distance.

That was where he wanted to go first.

As the flames faded out toward the horizon, Eret turned to the Chief.

"Would you mind if I skipped out on the drinking? I just want to be alone right now."

Hiccup reached out and squeezed his shoulder, nodding, tears in his eyes.

"Absolutely. You know where I am if you need me."

The Vikings were a more... drink-and-grieve type. Eret's upbringing, where there had been many funerals as they initially resisted the Dragon Trappers when he was a boy, had been that they took a quiet time to grieve first, and then came together as a community to _celebrate_ the person they had lost.

Their shared hut by the forge was empty, cold. He'd only spent a year reliant on dragons lighting fires, but Eret still sometimes turned to ask Skullcrusher, or a passing Terrible Terror, for help. Gobber often joked he was 'too old for rubbing two sticks together', and after Eret officially moved in with him, that had incited _many _jokes. Still, the ribbing was better than the hostility he remembered when he first moved to Berk. Lighting the fire, Eret laid back on the bench there, smiling absently despite the ache in his chest as he saw _Gobber _everywhere, in the spices arranged on the wall and the wheel of various attachments for his arm, spare wooden legs - including one Eret whittled for him recently - piled in a small bucket.

He'd miss it.

The bed was too much for him alone, excess furs all the ties of his moustache that got lost in the night, the smell of smoke and fire lingering on them, but Eret wouldn't get back in that anyway. He'd never be able to again, not after finding Gobber there. Cold and peaceful and _gone._

Hiccup didn't need telling; he knew better than almost anyone the impulse to go, to escape, to be free. Only his mother knew better, Eret imagined. So when Eret approached the chiefs hut, intending to explain himself a few days later, Hiccup started for him.

"It's ok. You don't have to justify it."

"Justify what?"

"Going home. I know you were happy here, and you'll always be a Berkian to me, to us. But just like some days I can't look at dads statue, I know you wouldn't want to live in the same place you lost him. Just let me know when, so we can get you a ship and some provisions ready. Who's sailing with you? I would, but Astrid's pregnant again and-"

"Hey, chief, I would never have asked you to leave here anyway. But Seamus and Gunnar both want to see the Sami lands, and I figure if you can spare them a couple of months, then they'll be able to sail back later."

"Take 'em. We're well-stocked, but if you don't leave in the next month you'll have to wait for the freeze to end... but I get the feeling this isn't a waiting game."

Eret shook his head.

"No. I can't... I just _see _him everywhere."

Hiccup nodded, sage and wise-looking with those flickers of greyish-white in his short beard - Astrid made him trim it when it got too long, as it refused all other attempts at taming.

"Give me a couple of days... you can stay here if you want the company. Zeph and Nuff would be happy to have uncle Eret around."

It was like he _knew _Eret couldn't go back to their shared bed, that he'd miss the family that took him in the most.

"Thanks."

Eret spent those precious last few days with the Haddock kids - soon to be three, and Eret's only regret was that he'd miss meeting the new addition. He made a little wooden reindeer for them as a gift, teaching Zephyr how to carve the smallest little details and smiling at her rapturous blue eyes.

"I'll miss you and all your surprises."

Astrid hugged him tight, rounded belly pressed against him as she squeezed Eret so tight he felt her after she let go. Zephyr and Nuffink both jumped into his arms for cuddles next, Nuff a little teary to say goodbye but he still gave Eret his big, warm smile despite wet eyes. Valka was next, someone he'd become firm friends with over the years despite the... rocky start to their relationship as trapper vs dragon protector.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

Finally Hiccup stepped up, giving Eret a genuine and friendly embrace before reaching into his pocket and holding out something wrapped in linen. Glancing up, Hiccup nodded to say he could open it, and Eret found a broach shaped like a Night Fury head, the same motif that was on Zephyr's bag she always carried her notebooks in. He knew Hiccup's handiwork by then, looked up to say thank you and found himself speechless.

"I thought it would match your owl. You'll always be one of us, so I wanted you to take a little of that home."

-HTTYD-

**For reference, the Sami people (Eret's people) believe the Northern Lights/Auroro Borealis are the souls of the dead, and should be revered with much respect, which is beautiful and I had to put it in here.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Two of three on the Feels Attacks.**

**Never really written from a dragon POV before. Let's see how this goes.  
**

**Trigger warning for... I guess the closest I can call it is dragon miscarriage.**

-HTTYD-

Toothless was all but beside himself as he paced, earning a glare from his mate. She was far more at ease it seemed, curled around the eggs. _Five,_ he counted. Even the other dragons seemed surprised, and from what Toothless had seen, most Light Furies only had two or three eggs themselves.

Padding closer, Toothless got an affectionate lick and nuzzle from his mate, but when he began pacing again she growled in warning. Anxious and excitable, Toothless knew any of the dragons would go for their Alpha, but opted to exit the waterfall and find his mate some fish. She deserved it. He had company in the form of Cloudjumper, who was too used to travelling the _whole world _to stay hidden down below without a dose of open sky.

Light gave him a very disapproving look when he returned, as though judging Toothless for bringing as much fish as he could carry... and also how much Cloudjumper could carry too. In his defence, Cloudjumper had been _happy_ to help.

"Too much!"

She rumbled, nudging several fish back toward Toothless. He was _kind _of hungry... and Cloudjumper deserved some too for helping. They shared the catch, tossing leftovers to the other dragons nearby. Finally a little settled now Light had eaten, Toothless padded over and curled up, shuffling closer with one eye cracked open to check he wouldn't get smacked.

Toothless offered to sit for the eggs, but Light was having none of it and shooed him off with an irate grumble. Even when she slept, she seemed to _know_ Toothless was there and a blue eye cracked open, or an earfin flicked up. Toothless huffed, slinking away.

The time until hatching day seemed to drag out forever, and Toothless wasn't the only one on edge about it. Light was increasingly anxious, occasionally pawing at the eggs and other times she'd curl so tight around them Toothless could barely even see the shells, or she'd curl a wing around the part her body didn't reach fully. She even let Toothless help sit on them, both nestling around their eggs, warming them, protecting them. The other dragons were mostly self-minding and let the Alpha take care of his mate and his clutch, thankfully.

Hatching day came upon them far too fast and not quick enough, and Toothless didn't understand at first why Light was so upset. He nosed at the quiet eggs while two of the five began to rattle, warbling softly. They must be sleeping, unaware it was time to come out! The two rattling eggs began to shudder more violently, several dragons nearby backing away and Light slinging a wing over her face. Toothless copied her just in time to protect from shards of exploding shell, eventually peering around his wing to see shattered egg bits and two baby dragons.

Toothless had wondered, looking at all the other dragon hatchlings year on year, how his and Light's offspring might look. The eggs had been glittering, striped in baby blue and midnight black. The sparkle on the quiet eggs was dimmer now, but the two hatched babies were a mix and match too - white bellies and white paw pads, one with a white nose and tipped earfins. They stumbled and wobbled and flopped to the ground, wings too floppy to lift yet and legs a little too weak to hold them. Light moved over and licked them, cooing softly.

But still the other eggs did not rattle.

He began pawing at them a little himself, hoping the jostle would wake them. Light made a terrible noise, one Toothless could only describe as _loss, grief _and a horrid, awful thought came to him. Wiggling the eggs a bit more that time, he warbled sadly as he realised one, then another, that they were too light.

_Empty._

He padded over to Light, felt her nuzzle under his chin and heard the apology woven into her next sounds, but he shook his head, licked at her scales reassuringly. He'd not blame his mate; she clearly wanted all five to be healthy hatchlings too, but they had two. Two was better than the none he had always expected. He leant down, snuffling with his babies, hearing the little chitters of baby dragons finding their voice.

Everyone jumped at once, when the only egg Toothless had not pushed at began to shake.

-HTTYD-

**I'm not sure if this is sad, happy or terrible. Idk. See what you guys make of it I guess.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Short prompt. Not a mega feels. Though I do have more of those to write.**

-HTTYD-

"Are you absolutely sure about this Gobber?"

"Totally! I know the chief better than anyone... aside from the wife, o'course."

Eret, placing his trust in his slightly mad lover, looked down at the box in his hands. Gobber had insisted they pick it up on a trip to a trading market island, as a gift for the Haddock household.

Apparently it had been traditional for a long while before the dragons, and now the dragons were gone and the household had a new addition - little Zephyr, a year old and the apple of the entire villages eye - Gobber thought the gift was appropriate. Eret worried it was too soon, but he trusted Gobber - he definitely _did _have claim to knowing Hiccup better than anyone except maybe Astrid, having been a part of his life since infancy.

"Alright then. Do the honours?"

Hands full, Eret nodded to Gobber to knock the door to the chiefs hut. He did so, taking a step back as they heard a childish squeal inside, followed by several adult voices. It was Valka who opened the door, offering both men smiles.

"You're back!"

"Aye. Is the chief in?"

Valka nodded her head, turning to call Hiccup behind her.

"Eret, son of Eret! Gobber! How was the trip? Any trouble?"

"Nah, all good chief. Got what we went for."

"Aye, and this rogue charmer got half of it for less than we planned!"

Rolling his eyes, Eret shook his head.

"I did not charm anyone."

"Suuuuuure ye didn't."

Hiccup finally noticed the box in Eret's hands, slight frown of curiousity marring his face.

"What's that?"

"A gift. From us to you. And Zephyr. I was _told _it is traditional, but I don't always trust Gobber ever since he said it was traditional to avoid Astrid at Snoggletog."

"Heard that!"

Astrid's voice called out from behind Hiccup, who grimaced slightly.

"She hasn't gotten much sleep. Come on in."

They stepped through, box in his hands feeling heavier than ever. Eret hoped they didn't hate it. He glanced around, seeing the signs of dragon-loving people all over the hut still, on Hiccup's cloak clasp and Astrid's kransen, even on the crib and Valka's belt.

"So, uh, yeah. Here."

Eret held out the box to Hiccup, gathering attention from Valka, who then took Zephyr from Astrid so she could lean in closer to see what Hiccup had. He held the box in one hand, opening the lid with the other to find...

"You got us a cat."

"Uh, yep."

Hiccup tilted his head, face unreadable.

"Oh Freya, we haven't had cats on Berk for years! Well, not since I was a girl anyway."

Valka seemed immediately taken by the small, sleeping ball of fur. It had a thick grey-black coat, and if they were open. Hiccup would see eyes that were the same colour as-

"Oh. Oh wow."

"Yeah. I... is it a bad gift?"

Hiccup blinked, then looked up at Eret and shook his head.

"Gods, no. Just a surprise! Dad mentioned these were traditional gifts once, but we never had a rodent problem with the dragons so... no. I uh... thanks Eret. And Gobber."

Bouncing a little awkwardly on the balls of his feet, Eret offered smiles to the assembled Haddocks, who were all increasingly drawn to the now-awake kitten. When he yawned and stretched one paw out of the box, Hiccup's whole face softened.

"Hey there little guy."

"Well, we'll leave you to get acquainted, we better finish moving the trade haul to storage."

"Yeah... thanks, guys. Really."

Exchanging smiles with the chief, Eret headed out with Gobber, hearing one last utterance from Astrid before they pulled the door closed behind them.

"You are _not _naming the cat Toothless!"

-HTTYD-

**Well, Vikings did traditionally gift each other cats. And we all know Freya liked a cat!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Three of three on Feels. (I didn't forget, I just need to be in the right mood for feels!)  
**

**Not quite canon-compliant. **

-HTTYD-

"Tell me again."

Hiccup felt Astrid turn in his arms, wriggling closer. He inhaled at her hair, smelling flowers and smiling at the memory of their wedding. They'd been so _young, _full of grief and loss and hope for the future.

Now all they really had was each other.

"She was a little shy, like me, but if you got her riled up then _gods _did you know she was your daughter. And the boy? He was still young, but you could tell he'd grow up with a sense of adventure and he was _so _loving. You could barely put him down some days."

It was a long-lost dream these days; after twenty years of marriage, they'd had to accept the gods wouldn't bless them with children, and so Hiccup had already chosen a successor, began training them. He apologised to his fathers statue and his mothers grave marker that the Haddock line had ended with him. Even told Astrid she could leave him and find someone who would make her a mother; she punched him square in the arm each time.

"Go on."

Her voice was soft, tired. Hiccup wondered if she wanted to fall asleep hearing the story and dream it for herself.

"It took longer than I expected, even after getting used to travelling by boat and how _slow _it was. But eventually, we found it. And there, through the fog and the waves... was Toothless. The Light Fury was next to him, just like I hoped" Hiccup felt the smile steal across his face, the image so clear in his mind "and they had babies. Little tiny things, black and white with big eyes and funny markings. He didn't recognise us right away, crept up on the boat like a protective dragon dad. You were worried, thought I might get eaten."

"That is the sort of thing you'd done before."

Hiccup chuckled.

"True. I just... did what I knew, turned away and held out my hand. And then he recognised me. He even brought Stormfly along, and she was _so _happy to see you. And we got to show them the sky the way we saw it."

Astrid's breathing began to even out as Hiccup told her his recurring dream, so he fell quiet to let her sleep. There was a solitary tear on her cheek that he wiped away, ignoring the stinging in the corner of his eyes as he pulled the fur up tighter over them and hoped she had sweet dreams.

-HTTYD-

**In case anyone wanted some sad thoughts today!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's another feels! Set just before the ending. **

**Contains character death.**

-HTTYD-

It _hurt,_ old bones and weary wings as time took its toll on him, but Cloudjumper refused to stop, to slow. He'd barely slipped past the Alpha as it was, and it was likely that he'd only managed because 'Toothless' was distracted by his recently hatched offspring. Growling to himself, he dipped to swallow some water, then forced himself to keep going. It was less than a days flight. He'd make it.

He had to.

* * *

Something was wrong.

Valka wasn't sure what it was, but she'd woken with a sort of sickly discontent lodged in her gut, and no amount of warm drink or walking through the village had eased it. Still unsettled by mid-afternoon, she climbed. Perhaps the view of the sea could help ease her soul. Though it often brought memories of the farewell shared there, the farewell she'd never expected to have to make.

Gripping the rocks, Valka noted how her body was starting to show its age, joints protesting the work of hauling her weight up. She was still strong enough, but that didn't mean it was as _easy_ to do it anymore. Still, she climbed. Higher up was still where she felt most comfortable, though it wasn't as high as dragon wings could have taken her, Valka still felt better when she looked down over the town and the ocean.

Hoisting herself up another level, Valka stopped to catch her breath. At first she thought she imagined the sound, all but lost in the blood pounding in her ears as her heart raced from exertion.

Then she heard it again. It was _so _familiar Valka would know it anywhere, and as impossible as she _knew _it to be, she forced her body up the next levels until she was able to see the sea stack. The one they had said goodbye on.

And he was _there._

"Cloudjumper!"

Valka ran. Her legs felt like they'd give under her any minute, stumbling on uneven ground and loose rocks but she just kept going. Halfway there, she realised something was up, brain struggling to process anything other than the sight of her dragon at first.

Why wasn't he rushing to meet her? Was Valka imagining it all? Would she reach the end to find a ghost?

Closing the distance, Valka realised what was wrong. He looked _old, _scales fading, muscles thinner, eyes a little glassy compared to those big, bright yellow orbs she'd woken to every day for two decades. She fell to her knees in front of his prone form, cradling him to her and sobbing so hard she couldn't catch her breath, babbling his name over and over as he made a weak, utterly pathetic sound.

She knew.

She knew why he was there, and her heart shattered with the realisation as quickly as it had healed at the sight of him earlier.

It felt like such effort, as though he used the very last of his strength, but Cloudjumper raised his head to rest in her arms, sniffing against her chest and cooing. Tears still falling down her face freely, Valka cradled him close and pressed her lips to his scales, rubbing his jaw softly the way he'd always liked before.

"Goodbye old friend."

Valka felt him go limp, head suddenly heavier in her arms as she sank with his weight, curling herself around him as tightly as she could and weeping at the loss of her soulmate. He'd come so far just to say goodbye.

* * *

"Cloudjumper!"

When he heard it, Hiccup was in disbelief; he looked anyway, and saw the shape of his mother vanish between trees at speed. Confused as could be, Hiccup turned to his wife at his side, their son held in one of her arms while their daughter held her hand.

"What are you still doing here? Get after her! Eret! Go with Hiccup!"

"Yes ma'am! Where are we going again Chief?"

They climbed; Eret was part animal, leaning down to hoist Hiccup up far quicker than Hiccup could have climbed until they were at the top, and both men gasped at the sight.

"Is that..."

"Oh my gods!"

They immediately began to head closer, but Hiccup could feel something wasn't quite... right. As they got halfway, he realised what it was.

_Cloudjumper wasn't moving._

"Eret. Wait."

"What is it chief?"

"I think... he's... just wait here. Don't let anyone else up here."

Hiccup went on alone, and he heard his mothers sobs before long, saw her shaking body as she clung to her companion of over twenty years, peace on his face even in death - he'd wanted Valka to be the last thing he saw, and the dragon had made it. Despite himself, Hiccup glanced around at sea and sky, but saw not a single scale more than the dragon in front of him.

It would take hours to convince his mother to even move, and longer still to figure out how to transport several tonnes of dragon without... dragons. Hiccup spent that evening with Valka, who was grief-stricken anew and he couldn't blame her one bit. Eret took over for the night to watch her - they were close, those two, despite the tricky first encounters they had - so Hiccup could go home and get some sleep.

He peeked in on Zephyr and Nuffink, who were tucked up asleep. A tired voice reached his ears, Astrid coming down the stairs in his old tunic she often slept in, hair loose down her back.

"They missed you saying goodnight, took me a while to get them down. How is she?"

"Devastated."

Astrid led the chief to bed, waiting for him to change before curling herself around him, offering a comfort only she could as they embraced, his fingers in her hair as his mind wandered for a while before settling on a solid thought.

"I want to try and find the Hidden World."

Perhaps selfishly, Hiccup had learned something from watching his mothers heartbreak.

He didn't want to die without ever seeing Toothless again.

-HTTYD-

**Oh man, the feels! They hurt!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Not such a feels attack!  
**

-HTTYD-

It was hard not to notice, really. Wide eyes and wider smiles followed everywhere he went, tall and strong and _sweet _as Eret was. Gobber knew he certainly wasn't alone in coveting the Sami, the redeemed trapper who spent his every hour now either caring for dragons or helping the villagers.

But somehow, it was Gobber he often gravitated to. At first it seemed like he might be hiding away, seeking salvation from the distrustful ones with someone who'd taken Hiccup's word and the proof of his actions that Eret had changed. And there were many. Loud, physical, brawling distrust. Hiccup dealt with it as diplomatically as he could, and Eret held his own in a hand-to-hand fight.

After a while though, when Eret and Skullcrusher were bonding well and the villagers realised Eret really was doing his best to be a part of Berk, of dragons and peace and protection… it seemed more like he was just finding excuses to be in the forge.

It was always framed as something like "the Chief asked me to get this", but more often than not Hiccup could have gotten it himself - he spent time in the forge plenty, tinkering with tail fins and saddles and the like. Gobber even started to wonder if Eret was deliberately sabotaging weapons just to come and get them fixed.

If Gobber found proof, he would… well, he wasn't sure, but he'd think of something. Hurting a perfectly good sword… barbaric!

And since, well, since the dragons left, Eret spent more time than ever in the forge. It was hard for him in a way it wasn't for others; Berk had changed, it was their way of life. Eret had been dragged kicking and screaming from a family, a tradition, and dropped into a new world view by a protective Nadder and a determined fishbone.

Only to lose Skullcrusher in a cruelly short time.

Of course, Eret also found a lot of time to spend with Valka, and Gobber left them to it. Gods only knew Valka needed someone; she'd barely found her family before Stoick was torn from them, and then only a year later, she lost _Cloudjumper_. Nobody could even come close to comprehending _that _loss.

Berk moved on, slowly and sadly limping along, burying their aches and loss in buildings and barrels of mead until Hiccup and Astrid's wedding. Gobber all but burst with pride to be asked by Hiccup to stand in Stoick's place, next to Valka as his 'father', Stoick's statue watching over all of them.

He didn't miss the fact Eret caught his flowers (maybe he needed to tighten up his arm), but Gobber didn't think too hard on it. Eret just looked a little awkward about it all anyway. And then there wasn't time to think about Eret, as they stood out on that cliff and looked toward the dragons.

For all his disparaging of Hiccup's way of life back when Old Berk was an overcrowded mess, Gobber couldn't ignore the truth; the dragons should have been there with them.

Then came the drinking, a heavy mix of sadness and celebration leading to rampant intoxication amongst most. Gobber was pleasantly warmed himself, belly full of drink as he headed down to the forge, peering in to check he hadn't forgotten to put the fire out. They didn't extinguish so readily anymore, without the dragons to spark them back in seconds.

"You know it's not her right?"

"Ah! Eret! Frightened the life outta me! Tryna make the Valkyries take me early?"

He shrugged, shadowed in the doorway between torchlight and the darkened forge.

"Sorry. But still, you know I'm not interested in Valka like that, don't you?"

"I, uh…"

No, he _didn't _know that.

"Cus I'm really not."

Eret was awfully close. Gobber searched his ale-soaked mind for words.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Really. Haven't you figured it out yet?"

-HTTYD-

**Yeah I got stuck on the ending but we know what happens, so whaddya gonna do?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Another one from tumblr prompt, which has been lurking in my inbox/lying around half-finished for who knows how long...**

-HTTYD-

Hiccup ran his hand across his face, skin smooth save for a little stubble again. He looked years younger, though his tidier haircut did add a couple of years on compared to when his hair was a windswept, barely-brushed mess.

Not that his hair was _ever _truly windswept anymore...

His fingers felt the faint bump, Hiccup raising his eyes to his reflection again and seeing that shaving had uncovered his old scar. It was barely visible anymore, but just rough enough to be felt against the normal surface of his chin. Oh, _that _was an old memory now.

"I forgot how much you look like your mom under that beard."

Astrid commented as she ran her hand over his jaw, smiling up at him. Sometimes he still marvelled that she was his wife now - over ten years and two kids later.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Nope."

"Daddy!"

Any further conversation was halted by the double trouble barreling into the legs of their parents, Nuffink all but climbing up Astrid as Zephyr held her arms up for Hiccup to pick her up. They both leant down to lift their children up, sharing smiles as they were both hugged.

"Your face is different again!"

That was how Zephyr described the difference between a bearded and unbearded daddy, running her small hands over his face before a frown marred her young features. She poked at his chin, confused.

"What's this from?"

Apparently she hadn't noticed the scar before now, and Hiccup felt a lump rise in his throat at the thought of the story behind it. He saw the sympathy in Astrid's face as Nuffink turned to see what Zephyr was poking at.

"We should go see grandma."

"Grandma!"

"Grandma!"

Both very big fans of Valka, the news was most welcome to them, youngsters agreeable to putting on their thick boots and warm furs for the trip outside. The shape of a big, friendly dragon face was a part of the building, painstakingly carved in memory of her closest friend. Nuffink bounded up to the door to knock, bouncing on the balls of his feet as they waited for the footsteps the other side to stop, the door to open. Valka lit up at the sight of them, beaming widely as winter sun reflected off the much longer silver-grey streaks in her hair.

"Hello my darlings!"

She ushered them in, taking warm and joyful cuddles from her grandchildren before dispensing them to her son and daughter-in-law.

"So, to what do I owe the joy of this visit? Not that you aren't always welcome."

"We wanted to see you!"

Chorused Nuffink, followed by Zephyr pointing up at Hiccup.

"Do you know what happened to daddy's face?"

He saw his mother frown slightly before her eyes landed on his beard-less skin, the faded scar that had let her recognise him after almost twenty years apart.

"I do, as it happens" she looked to Hiccup, who nodded his assent "come sit, I'll tell you the story."

They crowded around a roaring fire with mead for the adults and warm yak milk for the kids, Zephyr and Nuffink perched on Valka's lap looking up with rapt attention as she began to tell a child-friendly version, less house destruction and dragon fire than Hiccup's rendition, no talk of Valka's putting herself in the way of dragon killing.

"And he leaned over the cradle where baby Hiccup was, and reached out so gently to investigate. Hiccup grabbed hold of him, and he smiled. The dragon watched him, but something made the cradle rock and he accidentally caught him with a tiny scratch. It was big for such a small babe though, which is why it left that little scar."

"And that's how you knew it was daddy?"

The time Valka spent away from him had been covered, briefly, when Zephyr was old enough to ask Hiccup what _his _mommy was like, and they'd had to talk about how she wasn't really there and why. Hiccup saw his mother's face tighten, though she tried to master the old grief rather than show it to the little ones.

"It was."

"Did you miss daddy when you were away?"

"Oh, terribly so. Every day."

Before there was any more poking at the emotional scar - he'd forgiven her long ago, but his mother had never seemed to truly forgive herself - Astrid cut in, shuffling closer to sit next to her mother-in-law and run a hand over Zephyr's hair.

"We talked about this Zeph, remember? Grandma Valka had important work to do."

"With dragons?"

"Yes my love, with dragons."

When she looked over at Hiccup, he saw the same dimmed light in his mothers eyes that he knew had resided in his for a long time. The gap the dragons left in their lives and their hearts would never truly go away, but there was light in their lives again when first Zephyr, then Nuffink came along. And while things like his scars might fade, they told the stories so the memories never would.

-HTTYD-

**The Haddock kids love storytime with Valka and you can't tell me otherwise.**


End file.
